Your Opinion: Prop. B a step in right direction

Missouri’s reputation as the Puppy Mill Capitol of America is a terrible stain on our image.

A puppy mill is a puppy mill whether it is licensed or not. When God gave us dominance over the animals of the earth, He did not give us a right to abuse them in any way. This dominance comes with responsibility as we share this earth with them.

Like children, domesticated animals are dependent upon us to provide them the necessities for life. If a puppy mill breeder does not want to put forth the effort or incur the expense this entails, they should get out of the business. To refuse a solid floor under the paws of dogs caged and used to breed litter after litter, never exercised or provided veterinarian care is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Proposition B was passed by the majority to address these horrific conditions in Missouri’s puppy mills. It is a small step in the right direction, but a small step indeed.

I was encouraged to read Ms. Scheulen’s letter published Jan. 28 stating that since the passage of Proposition B, some 400 breeders have quit.

This is a good beginning and hopefully thousands more will follow. She questions what happened with their dogs and guessed many were put down.

That too is a good thing as it has ended their misery and suffering. She further predicts this will continue until few breeders are left. Again, I say hooray. Once the over-breeding of dogs stops, there will be no further need for animal shelters.

Dogs will once again be allowed to live as God intended when He created them — free from abuse and neglect.

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Finally Ms. Scheulen asks God to have mercy on my soul as a supporter of Proposition B. There is no doubt I will need His mercy but I sincerely doubt it will be because of my support of Proposition B.